I count myself very lucky that, often throughout my life, children have felt impelled to offer me their house-cleaning services; it hasn’t happened for a while so I was glad to find last week that my housework is still of appeal to capable little hands – long may it be the case.

Actually, after a week had passed since the subject of doing my housework had cropped up, I thought that Jade and Drew (the children of the handsome pilot who lives two doors down from me) might have forgotten or withdrawn their rash offer, after all, the idea had begun as something of a joke. But no, on Friday afternoon (when the gates were open – my new policy of friendliness) there was a knock on the front door and a little head peered through the window – it was five year old Drew.

“I don’t think she has any clothes on,” Drew whispered to his older sister.

“Yes I have!” I called out, pulling my tee-shirt over my bikini top (well, it was hot and I was alone on my own) as I went to the door.

“We’ve come to do your housework, Sally,” the pair said together.

“Can you use a broom and a mop?” I asked.

“Of course,” they laughed.

“I think I saw some brooms in the garage,” said Drew.

The children flew around, inside and out, with their brushes while I trailed after them with the dustpan. Out in the garage Drew delighted in finding a bunch of old leaves that had blown in under the roller-door.

“Look what I found,” he said with a smile before brushing them into the pan.

“Our Dad’s a stickler for cleaning,” offered Jade by way of an explanation.

“What about your mum?” I asked.

“Not quite so much. Sometimes she doesn’t agree with Dad but she goes along with him,” Jade added.

Little Kevin, the Charlie Brown lookalike from down the road, turned up on his bike (minus the trainer wheels) and came into the driveway. He looked so cute in his blue and white chequered short-sleeve shirt and his big cycle helmet which left only his eyes and nose showing.

“Oh no, it’s Kevin,” Jade said softly.

“What’s the matter with Kevin?” I responded.

“He’s a bad influence,” she began.

“Yeah, he swears and I caught it off him,” Drew joined in.

Luckily Kevin wasn’t keen on the idea of doing housework and he pootled off happily on his own without realising he was a bad influence.

“You see those nasty marks there on the concrete?” Drew asked. “Why don’t I just nip home and grab a bucket of soapy water to throw over them? That’ll soon get them off.”

“No, let’s mop the floors inside instead,” I suggested.”I wonder if Sue has enough mops…”

“I bet she has,” said Jade.

I thought of my own two mops (albeit that one of them was bought in desperation and proved to be nearly useless) and I reckoned that my sensible ten year old helper was right, which she was; Sue has three mops, only one of which is useless.

Jade and Drew mopped all the tiled floors, wiped all the worktops and tables, and dusted every other surface until the house was gleaming and smelt like a mountain stream; and when they left with their handsome father who came to collect them home for dinner, they also left behind some footprints on the not quite dry white tiles. I didn’t wipe them away. I rather liked the signs of the little feet and they stayed there for several days until this morning when finally I succumbed to the need to clean the floor myself.